female founders

This will be my 8th SXSW. Each year is different and filled with incredible content and new connections. However, I always leave Austin wishing that more of my time was geared towards meeting / helping / interacting with female tech founders. So, this year we decided to host a brunch focused on helping female founders raise capital — a topic I have first hand experience with.

We also curated a list of female-focused events that looks amazing. Now, the usual dilemma of what to attend?!

Join the founders of Austin’s own #bossbabesATX and Chicago’s Cliche Collective for an hour of mingling and conversation covering women in the workplace, professional resources for entrepreneurs and goal-mapping for 2017. Following mixer activities, we’ll close with curated discussion, drawing from topics posed by those in attendance.

Join ChickTech and Girl Develop it for the second annual Austin Women in Tech Social! Come escape the hustle and bustle of SXSW for a fun lunch overlooking downtown Austin from the wonderful offices of Box.

A meetup for overachieving underrepresented founders and the investors who believe in them. This is an invitation for founders that aren’t normally highlighted in the press and on the portfolios of most VC firms. Maybe you didn’t go to Stanford (maybe you did!). Maybe you haven’t worked at Facebook. Maybe your startup isn’t in Silicon Valley. Maybe most VCs don’t understand the market you’re targeting because they’re not in it themselves. This event,brings together founders that don’t fit the standard mold.

In Austin for SXSW? Please join us at the Techstars office for a female founders brunch where we will discuss funding opportunities and challenges with VCs including: Nicole Quinn, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures Jenny Fielding Managing Director at Techstars Sara Deshpande, Partner at Mavan Ventures Kerry Rupp, General Partner at True Wealth Ventures.

We Join the most powerful Women in Digital at for our first ever Austin happy hour and mixer. Refresh yourself with a break from the SXSW madness and meet your amazing sisters in arms of Women in Digital.

Providing sustainable support for women in technology is one of the most talked-about issues in the tech industry. Many corporations and organizations are focused on inspiring girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); and on providing support for women in technology to advance in their careers. SXSW serves as the primary annual gathering for the tech industry, with participation from all levels: corporate, start-ups, investors, and tech non-profits, and it just makes sense to provide an opportunity for supporters of women in tech to gather.

Data suggests that female investors are better at picking which women-led startups are most likely to be successful. What is it that female investors know that male investors don’t? Leading female venture capitalists and CEOs share what they’ve learned investing in and building successful companies led by women. How do women’s leadership styles and insights meaningfully differ from men’s, and how do you assess a woman’s potential to take a company to a successful exit? Explore the power and potential of gender diversity at the top. Find out the qualities female investors look for in female entrepreneurs, and what makes a great leader in today’s startup environment.

As usual, the time at SXSW will fly by so be sure to hit up a few taco joints, grab a few beers and have a good time. If you have a startup that’s interested in our IoT program in, come say hi by signing up here.